Chapter 35

Although it’s often said that children speak without thinking, their words can sometimes reveal the most truthful information.

According to Mother Jiang, her aunt’s family was only supposed to stay for a few days, so did they suddenly change their minds and plan to stay longer?

And what did the phrase “staying with my sister” mean? Was the family planning to be separated at some point?

As for her aunt’s family, it was clear that their current prosperous and comfortable life was partly due to the help from their relatives. However, since they had been able to stay abroad for so many years without returning, and hadn’t chosen to ingratiate themselves with the family in order to gain more benefits, there must not be any major changes in the family unless something significant had happened.

As expected, her aunt scolded her son when she heard that, “That’s rude. Is this how I taught you?”

The child, probably spoiled, didn’t reflect on his behavior after being scolded but instead stuck his tongue out at his mom.

Her aunt ignored him and said apologetically to Jiang Muti, “It’s like this, your mom said that Xuan should stay at your place since you two are about the same age and would have fun together. This little guy overheard and made a comment.”

“What I meant to say is that while we’re close relatives and it’s reasonable for us to stay at my sister’s, staying here with the whole family for an extended period is a bit much.”

“But your mom is my sister, and she’s used to having her way with me. You should talk to her about it later.”

Before her aunt could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a sweet voice, “Mom, why are you talking to my cousin like this? You’re making things awkward for her.”

Jiang Muti finally turned her attention to the girl her mom had mentioned repeatedly, Xuanxuan.

As it turned out, Jiang Muti and Jiang Yunjuan resembled their father’s side of the family, though Jiang Yunjuan had phoenix eyes while Jiang Muti had peach blossom eyes. The siblings still looked somewhat alike.

For those unfamiliar with the Jiang family’s background, it was rare to doubt that the two siblings weren’t biological siblings.

The little cousin who had just spoken was more like her aunt’s husband. Aside from being a little mischievous, he was a cute child.

However, her cousin Xuanxuan, who was only a year younger than her, looked more like her mother’s side of the family, resembling both Mother Jiang and her aunt. She was a bit more delicate and had the invincible youthful glow of a girl. It seemed she was someone who knew how to carry herself and speak properly.

Of course, the head of the household remained Father and Mother Jiang. Perhaps Mother Jiang had a special fondness for her niece, who looked so much like her? If she wanted to stay here long-term, Jiang Muti couldn’t do much to stop her.

Of course, it would be best if the motives were simple and straightforward.

After exchanging warm greetings and introductions, Jiang Muti learned that her aunt’s husband’s surname was Zhong, and her cousin’s full name was Zhong Xiaoxuan, while her younger cousin was Zhong Hao.

However, her aunt’s husband was quiet and didn’t say much beyond the greetings, seeming to have a gentle and refined personality.

Objectively speaking, her aunt’s family was easygoing, even though her younger cousin was a bit playful and spoke without thinking. He wasn’t the troublesome type.

After entering the house, the servants were instructed to organize their luggage into their respective rooms. After a brief rest, they all gathered again.

By this time, it was already dinner time, and Jiang Yunjuan came home promptly.

When he arrived, Jiang Muti was chatting with the guests in the small living room. Her aunt’s family had noticed the changes in their hometown after being away for so many years.

They were in the middle of the conversation when Jiang Yunjuan walked in.

Her aunt was good at socializing and immediately brightened up when she saw him, “Oh! Yunjuan, you’re back.”

Jiang Yunjuan smiled and replied, “Aunt, it’s been five years since we last met. You really haven’t changed at all.”

Her aunt laughed, her body trembling with delight, “Our Yunjuan’s got a way with words. Don’t let his serious face fool you, he’s the best at sweet-talking.”

“Come on, both of you, greet your cousin. Haohao, do you remember your cousin?”

“Remember?” The little cousin, probably only about five or six years old, hadn’t seen Jiang Yunjuan in five years. How could he remember someone he barely knew, especially since he was under two years old the last time they met?

However, Jiang Yunjuan had such a powerful aura that the little boy probably felt both scared and a bit in awe.

Flushed, the boy quickly said “Hello, cousin” and then turned to hide in his mother’s arms, his shyness drawing laughter from his parents.

In contrast, his cousin Xuanxuan was more composed. She stood up, looked at Jiang Yunjuan, and said, “Cousin, long time no see. I really liked the hairpin you gave me last time.”

Jiang Yunjuan smiled and nodded, “Xuanxuan is growing up. Now that you’re back, what are your plans for your studies?”

At this age, whether in China or abroad, it was the time for significant decisions.

Xuanxuan replied, “I plan to go to university here, so I’ll be taking the college entrance exam.”

She then smiled at Jiang Muti and added, “I’m a year ahead of my peers, so I’ll be going straight to senior year. I’ll need your help, Muti.”

Jiang Muti raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Her aunt didn’t seem to be faking her attitude, it truly seemed like she felt staying with others for too long wasn’t good, and when the topic was brought up, there was an evident sense of irritation in her speech.

But Xuanxuan, her cousin, seemed to have the opposite intention, subtly hinting that she wanted to stay longer, much like her mother.

Although Jiang Muti wasn’t sure what Mother Jiang was thinking, it seemed her cousin had a strong sense of determination.

Such requests, though half-joking, were often not rejected by anyone with good manners. Not only were they rarely turned down, but the response was often overly enthusiastic.

However, if those requests were truly followed up later, it could catch the person off guard. This kind of harmless favor was something almost everyone had experienced at some point.

But Jiang Muti never took the bait. Not only that, her brother chimed in seriously, “Is that so? There’s a huge difference between domestic and international education. If you’re planning on taking next year’s college entrance exam, you need to start preparing now.”

“I know what Muti is capable of. How about I find a few private tutors for you?”

Xuanxuan’s face showed a moment of embarrassment, but she was quick-witted for her age. The awkwardness was quickly masked, and she smoothly changed the topic.

From the outside, the conversation appeared to be going well, with no awkward pauses.

At this moment, Old Yun came out to inform them that dinner was ready, and they all stood up to head to the dining room.

On the way, Jiang Yunjuan handed Jiang Muti a small box, and Jiang Muti immediately showed a surprised expression.

Eagerly, she opened the box to find a large pink diamond inside. Of course, its size couldn’t compare to the world-famous pink diamond that had once been sold for tens of millions of dollars.

However, colored diamonds were already rare treasures among diamonds, and the size and quality of this pink diamond were certainly worth a lot.

Jiang Yunjuan lowered his voice and asked, “Do you like it?”

Jiang Muti nodded, and Jiang Yunjuan continued, “This was at an auction today. My assistant was with a client there and saw it. He knew I’ve been collecting gems lately and asked if I wanted to bid on it.”

Jiang Muti felt thrilled inside and replied, “Now all I need is a black one.”

Jiang Yunjuan smiled helplessly, “Alright, I’ll see if I can find something nice.”

It was understandable that girls liked jewelry, but his sister was especially fond of colored diamonds.

Compared to regular diamonds, colored diamonds were much rarer, with an approximate discovery ratio of 100,000:1. Among them, those with better quality were even more scarce.

So for a long time, Jiang Yunjuan had been having his staff pay attention to information about such gems and would occasionally bring back some rare ones. From time to time, Jiang Muti would receive gifts that delighted her.

Of course, her brother seemed to be compensating her, probably because aside from caring about her matters, he was also feeling guilty about the recent forced marriage, which made him think about making it up to her.

Jiang Muti had told him that this level of insincerity wasn’t a big deal, and since her parents weren’t home, she didn’t mind it. However, her brother had convinced himself that he was comforting her.

Jiang Muti opened the box and took a quick glance, not wanting to show it off in front of the guests.

But Xuanxuan, who was a step behind, had seen everything. She lightly bit her lip, her expression somewhat unclear.

Having learned about her aunt’s family’s tastes in advance, the dinner was prepared with the guests’ habits in mind, making for a pleasant evening for everyone.

However, after spending most of the day on the plane, the family must have been tired, so after dinner, they didn’t chat much. Jiang Yunjuan personally escorted his aunt, uncle, and little cousin, while Jiang Muti was responsible for her cousin, both making sure the guests were settled in their rooms.

It was unclear what Mother Jiang had in mind, but the rooms for her aunt and little cousin were normal, typical guest rooms.

But her cousin, Xuanxuan, was a different story—she was assigned a room right next to Jiang Muti’s!

If this were the time of the Qing Dynasty, it would be easy to guess Mother Jiang’s intentions. But now that the Qing Dynasty had long since fallen, and considering Jiang’s parents’ humble origins and the dwindling family, there seemed to be no need to purposely challenge conventional values and moral standards.

Most importantly, it seemed the two sisters had yet to reach a consensus on this matter.

Jiang Muti couldn’t figure out what her “cheap” mother was thinking, so she decided to wait and see.

She opened the door and let Xuanxuan in, saying, “The room has been specially cleaned, and the bed linens are fresh. The phone by the bed connects directly to the duty room, and someone is always there. If you need anything, you can contact them directly.”

“Can I come to you if I need anything, Muti?” Xuanxuan asked, looking at her a little timidly.

It was a natural response for a girl who was nervous about being in a new environment.

But Jiang Muti responded, “If you come to me, it’ll still be them in the end. You can’t expect me to go cook for you if you get hungry in the middle of the night, or find the storage room for an extra blanket, can you?”

This wasn’t meant to target Xuanxuan. While Jiang Muti’s feelings toward Xuanxuan were a bit complicated, she wasn’t intending to be harsh at the beginning.

In reality, she had never been good at hosting. Although she had improved over the years, when she was younger, her parents had to push her to greet relatives who came over.

She was more comfortable entertaining friends, but with relatives, though there was blood connection, their actual relationship was not that close. When they interacted, her awkwardness showed.

But the words Xuanxuan heard, combined with the impression she had before, completely overturned the warning her aunt had given her before coming.

Xuanxuan knew Jiang Muti had gained weight before she went abroad, and had heard that she hadn’t lost it. This made Xuanxuan feel that Jiang Muti’s character was sensitive and insecure.

But her nature was still quite good. If others were three points proactive toward her, she would return ten points. She seemed like an easy person to get along with.

Although she had lost weight this year and became more cheerful and confident, the essential difference didn’t seem too big.

But once she got out of the car and entered the estate, the situation she saw was completely different from what her aunt had described.

This wasn’t the image of a sensitive, self-deprecating, pure-hearted girl who had struggled with insecurity for over ten years and suddenly transformed into a butterfly—it looked more like a spoiled young lady who had been indulged since childhood.

She only thought about herself in everything. If something displeased her, even superficial politeness was thrown aside.

Xuanxuan thought that perhaps this was due to her aunt’s long absence, which had led to a misunderstanding. After all, a young lady raised in such a lavish environment would naturally have everything at her fingertips.

Feeling somewhat complicated inside, Xuanxuan pulled open the curtains to distract herself.

The view outside was beautiful. Below, a large, lovely garden stretched out, and though it was already evening, a subtle fragrance lingered in the air.

For all these years, Jiang Muti had the company of this elegant floral scent even as she slept, which was truly something to marvel at.

Just as she took a step back, she accidentally bumped into Jiang Muti.

Jiang Muti staggered a bit, and Xuanxuan quickly reached out to steady her. That was when a box fell out of Jiang Muti’s pocket and landed on the floor.

“Sorry, I turned around suddenly,” Xuanxuan apologized while picking up the box.

Jiang Muti waved her hand. “It’s fine, I wasn’t paying attention either.”

Xuanxuan was about to return the box, but then she remembered the dazzling glimpse of the rare gem she had caught behind the siblings earlier.

Unable to resist, she opened the box and carefully examined the full view of the pink diamond inside.

Xuanxuan’s family was relatively wealthy. Thanks to the Jiang family’s convenience, their overseas investments had also brought in some profits. So, among her circle of friends, she was considered a central figure.

But she had never seen such a large colored diamond in her life. Even the international brand jewelry stores abroad wouldn’t display gems of this caliber.

Even her mother’s treasured jewelry, locked away in a safe, didn’t compare to this pink diamond, which was worth more than a tenth of what the same-aged girl casually acquired.

Xuanxuan felt as if she had swallowed a lump of bitter air and then smiled casually. “Sorry, it’s just so beautiful I couldn’t resist.”

Jiang Muti shrugged, showing no sign of minding.

Xuanxuan then asked, “Is today some important day? Your cousin even brought you such an expensive gift.” She hesitated, adding, “We didn’t know and couldn’t celebrate with you.”

She cleverly hid her true intent behind a mask of guilt and unease.

Jiang Muti, being sharp, had already sensed the unspoken comparison and jealousy in her cousin’s behavior.

What could have been a vague and brushed-off matter, Xuanxuan had to make it into an opportunity to show off her sharpness.

Feigning indifference, Jiang Muti said, “No, I just mentioned a while ago that I wanted to collect some jewelry. But nothing in the market is unique enough, so I had my brother search for gems everywhere and design them himself. This one’s okay, but what I really want is a black diamond. He always brings back other colors. Tsk! The progress is really… touching.”

Xuanxuan could only feel her smile stiffening, softly muttering, “It’s okay—”

Then, suddenly snapping back to reality, she smiled politely. “Your cousin works so hard every day. It’s not easy for him to find so many for you! Sigh, I envy you for having such a good brother.”

Jiang Muti became even more pretentious, pouting and saying, “Being busy with work is not an excuse. Could he not run errands himself? I think he should really reflect on himself—what could possibly be more important than his own sister’s genuine needs?”

Then, suddenly, she looked confused. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Your face looks a little pale.”

Xuanxuan could only think that she was using every bit of her self-control to stand there without showing any discomfort.

She forced a smile. “Hmm, just a little dizzy from the flight. I didn’t feel it earlier, but now I’m starting to feel a bit lightheaded.”

“You should go back to your room and rest. There’s nothing to worry about on my end,” Jiang Muti said.

She nodded. “Alright, don’t hesitate to call the duty office if you need anything.”

It wasn’t until Jiang Muti left the room and closed the door behind her that Xuanxuan finally let out a long breath, tossing her coat onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Then, she gritted her teeth and muttered something completely inexplicable—

“Why should I—”

Not long after Jiang Muti returned to her room, her brother also came back. Instead of going straight to his own room, he came to her side first.

At this point, Jiang Muti had just put the diamond she had received earlier away. Her room had recently been redecorated. In addition to the original space, she had also opened up the adjacent room to create a walk-in closet.

Of course, the jewelry area had its own security system and didn’t affect the display.

The large batch of gems Jiang Muti had recently received still hadn’t been designed by a jeweler, but just looking at them like this was already quite pleasing.

When her brother entered, she was still recovering from the pretentious behavior with her cousin. Upon seeing him, she pointed to the jewelry area and said, “Look, I’m just missing the black diamond, and I’ll have a full collection of dragons.”

This was her way of urging her brother to act faster.

Jiang Yunjuan was both amused and exasperated. “You can buy one now if you want, but the good-quality ones are hard to come by. Even if I get you one, you probably won’t be satisfied. Just wait a bit, I’ll check if there are any good private collections available.”

Jiang Muti felt that if her brother kept indulging her, she’d become even more pretentious, but she couldn’t help feeling very pleased inside.

She then asked, “Has Aunt and the others settled in?”

Jiang Yunjuan nodded, laughing at her. “You don’t seem like the type who would worry about guests. I was actually worried you’d have some disagreement with them before I got back.”

“Huh?” Jiang Muti’s interest piqued immediately. She had been thinking too much before, but now she was curious.

“Brother, do you know something?”

Seeing that her brother just smiled without answering, Jiang Muti bit her lip and straightforwardly said, “Mom—she arranged for people to stay here, even having Xuanxuan stay long-term. And she specifically brought her here. This arrangement is interesting, isn’t it?”

“But Aunt seems like such a polite person, she wouldn’t be like I imagined, right?”

To her surprise, Jiang Yunjuan nodded. “It’s exactly as you thought.”

“Eh?” Jiang Muti was taken aback, not expecting such a dramatic soap opera to unfold in her own home.

This was seriously—so awkward.

Seeing her brother’s calm demeanor, Jiang Muti quickly pulled him down to sit. “But that doesn’t make sense. These things should always be agreed upon by the adults, right? If Aunt’s attitude was an act from the beginning, then her acting skills are really impressive.”

Jiang Yunjuan smiled, ruffling his sister’s head. “Who told you that Mom and Aunt are on the same side?”

This was just like when he casually revealed that their parents had already been at odds, despite appearing to be harmonious.

However, Jiang Muti felt that this situation was more complicated, and she asked her brother, “Even if their positions are different, they can’t just bypass the mother and directly reach an agreement with the child, can they?”

“Also, now that you mention it, I realize Aunt doesn’t seem to care much about Xuanxuan anymore.”

Jiang Yunjuan saw that she was sharp and didn’t try to hide anything from her.

Mostly because he knew he couldn’t hide it—since she had already sensed something was off in such a short time, it was only a matter of time before Xuanxuan’s true intentions were exposed.

When Jiang Muti saw her brother’s expression suddenly become troubled, she sighed. “Actually, if it were up to me, I’d want you to never know about this, but since Mom’s plans have already gone this far, it’s impossible to hide it from you.”

He leaned closer to her ear and whispered something.

As Jiang Muti listened to his words, her eyes grew wider and her face was filled with disbelief—

“Really?”

Her brother didn’t say anything, but the meaning was clear.

Jiang Muti lowered her head and bit her nail. “So that’s why… no wonder.”

Jiang Yunjuan thought she was upset and pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back as he softly said, “It’s alright, you don’t need to feel unfair. Haven’t we already made up our minds? We won’t be controlled by them anymore.”

Jiang Muti pushed her head out of her brother’s embrace. Her expression wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it wasn’t as sad or distressed as he had expected.

She waved her hand. “I know. After they sold their daughter, I stopped having any expectations for them. I’m not stupid. But this situation is actually a good thing for us.”

Jiang Yunjuan thought she was putting on a brave face and pulled her back into his arms. “It’s okay, I’m here!”

Jiang Muti had no choice but to deal with a brother like him, who spent every day thinking about how someone was trying to harm his sister, how someone was taking advantage of her, or how someone was corrupting her.

Seriously, if anyone dared to say she was morally corrupt, she could just push her brother, the overprotective father, out in front, and it would leave them speechless.

She probably would even get compliments for not turning out bad despite everything—though, of course, this was just Jiang Muti’s wishful thinking.

The next day, since everyone had been pretty tired the day before, Aunt’s family didn’t wake up too early. Jiang Muti had to go to school, so she didn’t see them in the morning.

At noon, she ran into Qiao Yuqi, and he told her that he recently auditioned for the role of the male lead in an idol drama, and this time, it wasn’t a cameo, but a proper male lead role.

Jiang Muti couldn’t help but admire how quickly he had risen to fame, and how well their company knew how to handle things.

She nodded. “Not bad. You have a knack for acting, but you need to choose the right roles. Even if the project doesn’t require much acting, you should still build a good reputation.”

Qiao Yuqi smiled. “How do you know? Did you find out about the cameo or the MV last time?”

“Your eyes are sharper than a professional agent’s.”

Jiang Muti smiled. It wasn’t that her eyes were sharp—it was just that it was all written in the novels. Not only did he achieve great success in the music industry, but he would also go on to win international film awards.

Winning awards usually involves some PR work, right? But at least making the nominations shows real strength, especially since he wasn’t even formally trained.

He’d probably been let down by too many people growing up, and that helped him refine his skills in real life.

The day passed quietly, but in the afternoon, when she and Yun Duo were returning home, they happened to run into her brother’s car at the front gate.

Jiang Muti thought to herself that her brother was home pretty early today. Then she saw her brother get out of the car, and her spoiled cousin Xuanxuan also got out from the back seat.

“Whoa?”

Jiang Muti sighed with interest.